Business people will tell you that it is imperative to advertise if you are to succeed. Consumers, aptly named, are persistently bombarded with promotions on the radio, on television, on their computer screens, and on billboards. Vehicles on the road are often painted with advertisements. They are on buses and in shop windows; and during elections, they are in neighbors’ front yards. We have telemarketers and junk mail that show up in our mail box on a regular basis. One of my daughters recently got her first credit card and now she gets at least two offers a week in the mail, for more credit cards.
No one wants to pay more than necessary for the things they buy, so if we want the best deals, we must download the app and become a “member” at each store in which we shop. I recall some years back when a few people would spend endless hours cutting out coupons with scissors, to save on groceries. It angered me to have to carry all of those tiny pieces of paper and then have to remember to present them at checkout. When stores began offering exclusive memberships, you had to carry numerous cards on the ring with your car keys in order to get the “sale” prices. The competition became fierce. I knew people who would go to all of the different grocery stores in their area so that they could get the best price, which often was no more than a penny cheaper than at another store.
We are now living in the days of smartphones and apps. I have a choice of only two super markets in this town. I shop at only one of them because the other does not carry any natural or organic products. I do not like the store that I regularly patronize because they do not have self-checkout lanes and I prefer to bag my own groceries. Many of the weekly sale items have the stipulation “digital only”. I resisted downloading the app for a long time; but eventually I acquiesced. I still must take the time each week to “clip” the coupons. My receipt always prints how much money I “saved”. They award points when you have spent X amount of dollars in their store; which you can then use to save 10 cents per gallon when you put fuel in your vehicle. I resent that I have to do this. Most of the things are overpriced to begin with, so it is a mind game that they play to make you believe you are saving money.
I sometimes wonder how much less stressful our lives would be, if they weren’t consumed by capitalism. Imagine simply being able to browse a local farmer’s market each day, where prices were about the same and you could choose something based on its quality, presentation, and the friendliness of the vendor. Imagine having the time to prepare fresh, delicious meals from these local offerings, rather than having to clip coupons for products that have been shipped from miles away. The capitalism that controls us will not go away without a fight. Imagine everyone having enough, instead of only the greedy scrambling to have it all. If we want to make a better world, we must first imagine it. Can we imagine a better world where the only business was people caring for each other, for other species, and for the planet?
